monday on montauk . . and tuesday and wednesday too

monday was bright and sunny, but cold and windy . .

the wind can be so fierce . .

we had leftover beet salad for dinner with a chicken pot pie from our butcher at home, which was very good.

it's a beautiful view . . which my mom always enjoyed . . 

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tuesday morning . . 

i had washed the curtain from the master bedroom in the bath tub yesterday . . and today i laid it out again in the sun to finish drying. this one didn't cast off a bad smell like the one from the twin bed room . . fortunately!

the sea was much calmer today . . 

i spent a good amount of time running back and forth to the hardware store in town, trying to get the proper size sink stopper as this sink is missing one. after trying to fit one in with greg's help, i realize i need a 1 1/4" diameter stopper with a longer stem. i'll have to check my local store in the city.

dinner tonight was sea food from the point restaurant . . fried calamari, blackened scallops (both appetizers) and a fish and chips entree, which we shared.

the peepers were out . . 

 

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we were on the road wednesday afternoon . . 

after a stop in amagansett for two hampton chutney dosas which we shared with chanda when we arrived home.

brunch in queens

 

 greg and i made a trip to queens to see korrina for brunch (on our way to montauk). fortunately, we found a spot in front of aubergine cafe, as greg wanted to keep an eye on the car (it had his work computer in it). 

 a perfect parking spot . . 

i tasted the cafe's carrot ginger artichoke soup, but chose the vegetarian chili, as it's just so good! (it's quite spicy.) korrina had a bagel with lox and greg had some kind of sandwich . . i actually wasn't paying attention . . because . .

 

i was too busy taking pictures . . it was a rainy, grey and chilly day . .

 

the scaffolding isn't very pretty, but it certainly is an effective shelter from the rain.

 

korrina is knitting a sweater for a friend who is having a baby in september.

i love the colors . .

the executive chef position she has with her new job keeps her very busy. i miss our get togethers, but am glad she's enjoying her work.

after saying good-bye, greg and i got on the long island expressway east . .

palm sunday

after the winter rain

after the winter rain,

sing, robin! sing, swallow!

grasses are in the lane,

buds and flowers will follow.

woods shall ring, blithe and gay,

with bird-twill and twitter,

though the skies weep to-day,

and the winds are bitter.

though deep call unto deep

as calls the thunder,

and white the billows leap

the tempest under;

softly the waves shall come

up the long, bright beaches,

with dainty, flowers of foam

and tenderest speeches . . .

after the wintry pain,

and the long, long sorrow,

sing, heart! - for thee again

joy comes with the morrow.

by ina coolbrith (1841-1928)

dinner and flowers

 

 it's so nice eating earlier rather than later . . 

 

ellen sent a photo of a field of perwinkle from her visit to wave hill today:

a summer day

it was such a beautiful day that kendall and i decided to have a salad, cheese and glass of wine at cafe cluny this afternoon. it went up to 80 degrees, and the wind also picked up and blew the flimsy curbside restaurant partitions so hard that they rattled and creaked and seemed to almost fall apart. of course aurélien woke up not too long after we sat down, but he stayed calm, and was happy to sit on my lap while we talked.

afterwards, i walked to the library to pick up the movie i had put on hold. as i walked south on seventh avenue, i caught up with the tunnel traffic. i was surprised to see it, as it has been non-existent during all of covid, and now, suddenly . . voila! here it is again on the first warm day. as i was filming this little movie, chanda called out to me. she and emily and a co-worker had just turned the corner onto seventh avenue. work was over for the day and she was on her way to get a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant.

i mailed two batches of voter registration letters to arizona yesterday, and today i printed out twenty more at the fed ex store before heading home.

thursday evening

pluto is watching the birds and wishing someone would set up his bins and open the curtains for him.

chanda made a delicious salad for dinner this evening, which she served with chicken pot pie from chelsea market's dickinson's deli.

she and greg then worked on a budget for her school in september.

a warm and sunny tuesday

 

i walked to strand books today to pick up the silver sword, and then walked through union square on my way to home depot (stopping at eataly where i haven't been since pre-covid, and where i bought figs, asparagus and ravioli piselli which is filled with peas, mint, ricotta and parmesan). home depot didn't have the traverse rod part i need to fix the curtains out on montauk. i'll have to try garber's tomorrow. otherwise, i'll have to order it online.

 

things are beginning to feel a little more normal . .
 

these days instead of just listening to our street musicians, we now film them. i think it's funny how we all have to do this! i had plans to upload mine to this blog. what about my fellow new yorkers here . . did they send their videos to a friend or to instagram or twitter? this person set out hearts to singing.

 

chanda babysat aurélien again today. he has now started scooting around on his bottom. he's very cute and very happy.

early evening bike ride

greg and i took a bike ride this evening before dinner. i had been out in the morning to make copies for more letter writing at fed ex, and then spent too many hours looking for a particular photo i would like to use for my holiday "caption this" emails that i send my family, so it was nice to get out again for a ride together along the river. (so far, i have not been able to find the photo.)

it was warm enough for just a sweater and a down vest, but my hands got very cold. greg was smart and wore gloves (in his pocket in this pic).

it was a pretty day . . (on west street, looking north).

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chanda took aurélien for a walk today while kendall tried to pack for the country house.

i went out to meet her as she was concerned because he was snoring . . 

i didn't know what she meant first . . but after listening (he was sound asleep) i realized he was just congested. i thought he sounded croupy, but maybe it's just allergies, or congestion from the goat's milk. we figure he'll be fine.

sunday morning poem, daffodils and dessert

wind

the wind was a care-free soul

that broke the chains of earth,

and strode for a moment across the land

with the wild halloo of his mirth.

he little cared that he ripped up trees,

that houses fell at his hand,

that his step broke calm on the breast of seas,

that his feet stirred clouds of sand.

but when he had had his little joke,

had shouted and laughed and sung,

when the trees were scarred, their branches broke,

and their foliage aching hung,

he crept to his cave with a stealthy tread,

with rain-filled eyes and low-bowed head.

by gwendolyn bennett (1902-1981)

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greg and i took a walk today to porto rico imports to get coffee before church this morning. it felt good to be out early when the sidewalks are quiet (though washington square was actually rather busy). it went up to 60, though the morning was cooler at 41 degrees. i spotted this cute little french bulldog outside the coffee store while taking a photo of the daffodils.

we had a book club meeting today at 4 pm and shared about what memoirs that we've read that have been meaningful or inspiring. i could smell the chicken cooking in the oven near the end of the call. i'm glad i had prepared it and not waited to pull something together at the last minute. above is a hot chocolate we decided to have for dessert as we had marshmallows from the little girl chanda meets after school on wednesdays. she had made them with her mom last week. they were good! i have actually no idea what goes into a marshmallow. i read ingredients on everything i buy, so it's funny that i have no idea . . i know there's sugar . . but what gives it that soft billowy texture? i'll have to make a batch one day.

on the first day of spring

 

minerva the cat had another vet appointment (acupuncture to help her hind quarters which have been bothering her) so I took aurélien for a walk early this morning. it was quite cold - 33 degrees fahrenheit. i was considering walking by the river, but then i remembered chanda was at work and i thought it would be more fun to say hello and get a cappuccino.

 

we sat for a little while and then we returned to the park where kendall met us. i'm home now and dinner is in the oven (cod fish) and on the stove (barley), along with cole slaw from two small cabbages that have been sitting in the fridge for awhile. it's still light out (almost 7 pm) but it's darker in the morning again (i would have been happy to skip daylight savings and keep it brighter in the am). 

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 to add a little more to the account of the day: i rushed home from babysitting to catch a "coffee chat" and dance class with the school of american ballet. it was fun to watch (it was free to register):

 

i watched while having my brunch: tuna salad with cheddar cheese slices on rye crackers.
 

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and then after dinner we played a round of bananagrams . .

chanda finished before greg and i, but then had to re-work a word that wasn't quite correct . .

which gave me time to finish up my words to win this game  . . 

(getting a little advice  . . )

greg's words . . (he picked up a q at the very end which set him behind - chanda and i didn't have much sympathy as we're usually the ones to pick up the odd letters at the end).

chanda's words.

 

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happy first day of spring . .